Wild ― Piper McLean

―xiv. aphrodite-approved makeovers

Coach Hedge nodded. "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."

Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So... climbing a mountain. That would be bad."

Piper shook her head, looking distraught. "Guys, I can't ask you to do this. This is too dangerous."

Verona put her hand over Piper's. "We're demigods," she said. "Dangerous is the job description. We're going to save your dad, Piper."

"Exactly!" Hedge belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"

🌿

After a cab ride halfway up the mountain, they were stuck going the rest of the way on foot. Which proved treacherous, with the way the dirt beneath them kept sticking to their feet.

"Roni, can't you call some birds to carry us up?" Leo complained. 

"The highest recorded weight carried by a bird is fifteen-pounds, carried by a bald eagle," Verona said, though she wasn't sure where the numbers came from. "Do you weigh fifteen pounds?"

"...No." 

"Then no, I can't call a bird-taxi for you."

At least the amazing view almost made the hike less painful. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people living normal lives. 

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way..."

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason?" Piper asked. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes... no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, guys. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

But Jason looked toward the foggy basin with such longing—like San Francisco was home, and he was so close. 

"Hey, guys," Leo said, looking down at his sinking feet. "Let's keep moving."

Verona grimaced, tugging her now-ruined Converse out of the dirt. 

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. 

He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed them to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, it looked like a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

🌿

If not for the fact that they were walking into a trap and that the earth was trying to swallow her brand-new Converse, Verona might have enjoyed the hike. 

But they were walking into a trap, and the earth was trying to swallow her brand-new Converse, so she wasn't having a great time. 

She almost regretted all the times she'd hated the cold as the sun bore down on them, inescapable and relentless in its heat. In no time, she tied the windbreaker around her waist and rolled the sleeves of her t-shirt up. She was probably just adding to the surface area that would end up severely sunburned, but she was so overheated that she didn't care. She'd deal with the damn sunburn later.